Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ By Demons Be Driven ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Shinohoshi13 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Horror / Mecha | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.03.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 145 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Horror / Mecha | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.03.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 145 | Status: Completed
started this story in November of 2006, and I have now finished writing Chapter 2. When I realized that the chapter was going to be too long (over 9000 words!) I decided to chop it in two. So now I have Chapter 3 waiting on the sidelines.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Chapter Two
A young girl stood in front of a towering mobile suit. A tool belt was wrapped around her small waist and a smile graced her angelic features. The old man standing behind her watched as she ran her hands lovingly over the metal frame of a giant mobile suit.
"Are you sure I can work on this?" she asked the man, turning to face him. "To entrust something this powerful to a little girl is quite surprising."
"I'm sure, child. I have faith in you."
Suddenly, a small boy around the age of five came running up to them. His brown hair was shaggy and hung over his shocking cobalt eyes. He gripped the man's long coat and tugged on it impatiently. "There's someone here to see you!" he said in a shaky voice. "I don't like the look of them."
The girl watched as the old man was led away by the boy. She frowned, knowing that something bad was going to happen.
Her suspicions were proved correct when she heard a cry of surprise and the loud report of a handgun.
The Ozzies had finally arrived at the hangar.
The boy came running back in her direction and she noticed the blood covering his clothing. The old man was dead.
And now the two of them needed to escape before OZ followed them.
Before the boy could say anything, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to the mobile suit. She pushed him up the ladder, looking over her shoulder when she heard another shot. She undid the tool belt, letting it drop to the floor before following the boy. By the time she had reached him, they were at the hatch of the suit.
"They killed him!" the boy got out through his shock. "They killed him before he could do anything!"
"It doesn't matter now," she said in reply, hitting the button on the hatch. "It was bound to happen sooner or later." Once the hatch was open, she shoved the boy inside and climbed in next to him. The cockpit wasn't designed for two people, but foregoing the safety harnesses, she settled him in front of her. The hatch quickly slammed shut as she powered up the suit and turned on the vid-screens. She frowned when she saw the men standing in front of the suit.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked, looking back over his shoulder at her. His cobalt eyes flashed in the faint light and she noticed the play of images running through them. What had just happened would haunt the boy for the rest of his life.
"We are escaping. Those men want this suit, but they won't get it as long as I live." The girl hit a button and the suit blasted upwards, knocking the men over. "I know a place where we will be safe from those men. They will never find us."
The suit exploded from the building in a spray of debris. The girl frowned harder when she saw the units surrounding it. Then she grinned maniacally as an idea hit her. Why not take out a few OZ lackeys as they left? The idiots surely wouldn't be missed.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
The blast echoed over the compound, making the soldiers race for cover. Heat washed over them, drying out skin and blistering the flesh. Screams sounded from those units caught at the epicenter of the blast. Several died instantly from the burning flames that roared from nearly every opening. Those that were farthest away would later recall that Hell itself had burst forth from the very bowels of the Earth.
"Holy shit, it's a fucking Gundam!" one officer yelled, directing his subordinate's eyes to the heavens. The large war machine hung stationary in the air, seeming to mock them all. Then it shifted, bringing the buster rifle to the fore. The weapon started to glow as power gathered within it. One soldier had enough sense left to turn tail and run. Others gained their scattered wits and joined in the mad rush to safety.
Only, safety wasn't to be found that day.
The rifle fired, sending a beam of energy towards the massed groups of soldiers. The compound shook with the force of the blast and debris went flying. Several rather large pieces landed on the transports and they exploded in a ball of fire. The rifle powered up again, and the Gundam shifted to another target. Screams rent the air as the second blast hit home.
As the third and final shot was readied, the Gundam lifted higher into the air. The weapon was aimed at the heart of the compound, the intent clear. What soldiers remained at the very back of the assembled units climbed over one another in a mad dash to outrun the ruin of the area. The final blast exploded in a mushroom cloud, sending waves of fire flashing before the rush of debris. The retreating soldiers would later remember a distinct child-like voice laughing over the wake of ruin just before the giant war machine disappeared from sight.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"Th-that wa-was b-rutal!" the boy got out. The girl looked at his face and saw that his pupils were dilated. He was already in shock, but she could see his eyes returning to normal. "Why d-did you d-do th-that?"
"It was the only way to make sure they wouldn't follow us," she said, checking the radar. Satisfied that most of the complex had been destroyed, she aimed the Gundam for the heavens. There was only one place they would truly be safe.
"Now what?" She looked down. Cobalt eyes wide with receding shock stared up at her. "What's going to happen now?"
Punching in the coordinates, the girl activated the hyper jammers. "We are heading into space to the L1 Colony. That is where we will meet up with the only person capable of taking us in."
"Who's that?"
"You'll learn who it is when we get there." Her hands were firm on the controls as the thrusters worked overtime to propel the Gundam forward. The outside of the war machine turned red as it entered the barrier between the Earth and space. The girl's attention was broken by a yawn from the boy. "Go to sleep, child. I'll wake you when we get there."
Cobalt eyes were at half-mast under shaggy bangs. Another yawn nearly split the boy's jaw in two. "Okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes. The girl smiled as calmness fell on the boy. Then her thoughts shifted to what had happened just a half hour ago.
Somehow, the Ozzies had found out where the old man was hiding at. There had probably been a planted spy among the technicians at the lab. That was the only way the OZ morons could have found them. She frowned harder. The spy should have died in the blast. Shifting through the last hour, she remembered the second shot. Apparently the extremists had killed their own man.
She glanced down at the boy, then reached out and ran a hand through his unruly hair. The old man had been the only person in his life. Now it was about to be lifted on its head. The person she was taking them to would make sure the boy was brought up in the 'correct' manner.
Sighing heavily, she turned her attention back to the Gundam. Three hours remained until they reached L1. That was enough time to relay the information to the scientists. They would know what to do when they landed on the colony.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
The boy stirred as he felt something moving under him. He blinked once, twice, three times as his eyes cleared. He didn't recognize his surroundings and panicked. His breathing and heart rate sped up and he struggled to stand. A harsh voice in his ear froze him. He turned slowly, still hyped up on adrenaline, and locked gazes with a pair of grey eyes. He shot backwards, landing hard on his ass.
"Calm down, short stuff. You're fine."
"Where are we?" He broke the stare and looked at his surroundings. From somewhere in his jumbled thoughts, he came up with a memory. Finally realizing where he was, he shot his eyes upwards. His partner in the small space had her hands on the controls of the Gundam they were currently riding in.
"Docking sequence one-five-two-seven activated. Permission granted to land in Bay Five."
"Roger that. Have standby ready for pick-up of suit."
"Acknowledged, Alpha One. Over and out."
The girl shut the transmission off and looked down at the boy. "You hafta move if I'm gonna land this hunk of metal." She motioned for him to sit next to her in the pilot's chair. He did, finally noticing how serious the girl seemed.
"What's going to happen now?" he asked, staring at the vid-screens and the images portrayed on them.
"We will meet up with Terror and move on from there. Other than that, I don't know." The giant machine lurched as it touched down on the runway. A man was standing at the far end of the strip, arms crossed and foot tapping in impatience. Once the two had descended from the suit and traveled half the distance, the man stepped forward.
"So this is Lowe's progeny. He's been brought up nicely. From the looks of it, he won't have to unlearn anything." He turned to the girl. "And you yourself--"
"What are you talking about, Terror?" she snarled out. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"You may seem to be only the human equivalent of age seven, but there is something definitely older about you."
"If something like that is true, then I'm not going to tell you. That is my secret to keep and yours to never find out."
"What's the kid's name?" the man asked, shifting subjects.
"He has none. Lowe wasn't one for names, you know that. Though he did hint to me about what he wanted to call the little menace." The boy looked back at her in surprise. This was something he hadn't heard of!
"And what was that crazy old goat going to call him?"
The girl smiled. "He wanted to name him after the assassinated revolutionary Heero Yuy."
"Heero Yuy, huh?" Terror rubbed his chin in thought. He glanced at the girl, noticing the hatred in her grey eyes. "Then Heero it shall be." He turned to the boy. "Welcome to the L1 Colony, Heero Yuy."
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
The lights flashing down created an enormous shadow across the floor. The clanking of metal on metal rebounded in the large room. A few people moved through the building, tinkering with the spare parts from mobile suits. One man stood apart from them, staring at the item that was creating the shadow. A string of curses floated down from the large mobile suit, making the man smile slightly. A wrench went flying past his head to bounce off the wall behind him and come to a stop at his feet.
"It ain't funny, old man!" The child-like voice echoed out of the pitch-black suit, making him smile again. "I really hate it when I make you happy like this!" A head popped out of the darkness that was the cockpit and the girl frowned down at her mentor.
"Come now, child. Surely you don't mean that?" A wave of tools went screaming past him in reply. He chuckled, watching as the girl descended to the ground. She stopped directly in front of him, and the top of her head was level with his breastbone. She braced her hands on her hips, scowling up at the man. "How goes the interior work?"
She sighed, relaxing her stance. She really didn't want to fight anyway. "I've been at it for almost four months already. Most of the delicate wiring is left, only because it takes so long. All of the internal connections are complete, giving full mobility. By the end of the week, all of it will be up and running."
The man rubbed his chin, lost in thought. "You've moved faster than we predicted. We are months ahead of schedule thanks to you, child."
The girl snorted. "If you had someone else doing this, you'd be years behind schedule. You five knew when I started that I was the only one for the job."
"That's true. And I speak for everyone when I say that you have done a wonderful job."
"If I did anything less, I'd be out on the scrap pile," she snarled in reply. "That is, unless you've changed the contents of your threats?"
The man frowned and crossed his arms. "The threat still stands, child. Keep up with this attitude and I'll make sure Famine has a go at you."
She visibly gulped. "You can't mean that," she whispered, grey eyes wide in fright. "Anyone but Famine."
"My threats are not baseless. When I threaten someone, I mean it."
Her eyes shifted to the side. "I'm sorry, sir." The man smiled. Threats were the only way to keep this unruly child in line. She gazed back up at him, expression blank. "How goes Heero's training?"
"He's coming along nicely. Lowe had educated him well beyond what any normal child should know at this age. Only a few habits have needed to be unlearned, but other than that, he's doing well."
Unlearned. That only meant one thing - the person in question was beaten and tortured until the habit had stopped. A wave of pity flowed through her then, tightening her throat. What had she brought down on the child? No five-year-old deserved this type of cruel treatment. No one deserved it. She'd have to do something to help the kid get through the process faster. There had to be a way to help him.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Hands clasped behind her head, she stared at the ceiling with flat eyes. Heero had stumbled into the room an hour ago, pale and shaking. The minute his head hit the pillow, he was out. Now, he was talking in his sleep, tossing and turning in the grip of a nightmare. This happened nightly, and now was no exception. In roughly ten minutes, Heero would wake up with a cry and he would crawl in bed with her, seeking comfort. Somehow she was the only one he trusted enough to help him.
Right on cue, a yell echoed through the room and she sat up. Heero struggled with his covers, finally throwing them off and shooting up to clutch at his head. His breathing was shallow and erratic, and she watched as the boy slowly got out of his bed and stumbled to hers. Without a word, she held the blanket up and he wormed his way in next to her. His body was still shaking from the effects of his nightmare. He curled against her side, one arm going across her abdomen. His head butted up against her chin, his hair tickling her skin lightly.
"Why do they do this to me?"
She shifted, pulling Heero closer to her. He asked the question every night and she always gave the same answer. "No one knows the real reason for their madness. Even I do not know why they do this." She fell silent, knowing Heero would fall back asleep soon. That was when she would put her plan into motion. The puffs of air against her neck slowed and evened out, letting her know Heero was now asleep. She slowly disentangled her body from his grip. Scooting to the headboard, she placed Heero's head in her lap and twined her fingers into his unruly hair.
"I'm so sorry, Heero, but this needs to be done to save your sanity. If I don't do this, you will never survive what Terror has planned for you." She closed her eyes, tightening her grip in his hair. "This is for your own good. This will save you in the end."
What happened next, no mortal man would believe. She started to glow, her skin giving off a faint white light like that of the moon. Her eyes started to swirl and shifted from grey to silver. A grimace appeared on her face as she rifled through Heero's brain, searching for the habits he was forced to unlearn. She found them quickly, right at the front. Working swiftly, she erected barriers around them, cutting off the neural pathways and restricting the access to them. Close by was the section of the brain that contained long-term memories.
"I'm sorry, Heero," she whispered as she went deeper into his mind. She searched out the memories connected to her, intent on getting rid of them. That was the only way to ensure the boy survived his ordeal. Once she found the cluster of images, she cut away all of the pathways leading to them. Using the sheer power of her own mind, she stripped away layer after layer, destroying the memories. When she was done, she would disappear into the background, severing all contact with the boy. From this point on, she would be a ghost to him, there yet never there.
She slowly worked even deeper, careful with her gentle touches. She was searching for the central core, the one part of the brain man could not understand. But she understood it. She was the only person in existence to know the depth and internal workings of the human mind. She alone had the ability to tamper with thoughts and memories. And it was the only way to save the young boy from certain insanity. Finally reaching her destination, she rifled though the neural networks until she found the one she was looking for. She traced its path to the pain response center.
Heero arched off the bed with a cry. She took no notice of it as she blocked the connections. By this time tomorrow, the boy would feel little to no pain from his experiences. Another cry echoed in the small room as she probed deeper and deeper, blocking off all paths. A third cry sounded, followed quickly by another. Soon it became a never-ending scream, gaining strength as it bounced off the walls of the room. And then it suddenly stopped, leaving complete and utter silence in its wake.
She closed her eyes as things shifted within her body. Bones ground against one another as they grew and twisted. Her flesh rippled and stretched to fit over the new bone structure. By the time it was done, a ten-year-old girl sat there, hair now down to her waist. This was the consequence of using her ability to meddle with the human mind.
Withdrawing from the confines of the bed, she looked down at Heero. His face was lined with pain, and she saw the shudders wracking his body. In two hours, he would be back to normal. Whatever normal was these days.
"Farewell, Heero. I hope your new talents ease you through the suffering of Terror's destructiveness." With that, she turned and exited the room, leaving the only person that mattered to her. From now on she would be nothing but a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of an eye, a vision there and gone within seconds. She was nothing, now; nothing but a ghost of the past.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"You've done well today, Heero. You are advancing quite well."
Heero looked up at the aged scientist. "I am trying, sir," he said, glancing down at the ground. The past few days had gone by in a blur, and only now had he noticed that he wasn't feeling the pain like he used to. Now the pain was at a tolerable level, light enough for him to push to the back of his mind.
But there was something missing, something that his hazy mind couldn't focus on. Then a flash of gold bullion caught his gaze, drawing his eyes to the side of a mobile suit. A girl stood there, a tool belt around her waist. A wrench was in her hand as she focused on tightening a loose nut. Heero felt a niggling in the back of his mind as he watched her work. She was familiar looking, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before. The scientist noticed his errant gaze and followed it.
"Who is she, sir? I feel as if I should know her."
Terror frowned at this. The girl had done something to Heero's mind, twisting it around. The boy should have been screaming in pain during each session. But he wasn't. He was tolerating the pain, storing it away and ignoring it. The scientist tapped his chin, deep in thought, watching the girl. She showed no sign of having seen them watching, but he hardly doubted that she knew they were staring at her. He could tell in the stiffness of her back and the rigidity of her movements.
"She is just another worker, Heero. You'd be better off to forget seeing her. Her schedule is erratic, and she travels between the colonies often." He grabbed the boy's shoulder and drew him away from the room and the girl.
=*=*=*=
Her eyes closed as she heard the two walk away. She let out the breath she had been holding, clutching tight to the tools in her hands. He had been close to finding out about her. She had been so close to having all her hard work undone. There was only one place where she could go to be safe from Heero finding out about her. The L2 Colony, and the labs run by Professor G. She would be safe there, due to the fact that Pestilence didn't like sharing things with his colleague.
'L2 Colony, here I come,' she thought to herself.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"Child, you know you can't run forever. Sooner or later you're going to have to face the boy."
"I know that. I left for his sake. He couldn't be allowed to remember me."
Professor G looked down at the ten-year-old girl-child in front of him and scowled. "That old geezer running the freak show on L1 knows about this, yes?"
She nodded her head, clenching her hands into fists. "He knows, but the fact remains that if he tells Heero, all my work will be undone, and I can't have that happen. Heero doesn't need my influence in his life. It will only cause problems in the future."
"Very well." The scientist turned from the girl and walked to the main computer terminal of the labs. "As long as you're here, you can get started on the suits I want built."
That caught her attention. "You want me, a girl of ten, to build a mobile suit?"
"I heard about the Gundam you built for Terror, and I know your skill. I believe in you, child." He tapped the computer screen and the blueprints splayed there. "This is the Wing Gundam, the first of five I need built. Your expertise is needed desperately, because a war is going to start in the near future. White Fang and the Alliance are fighting amongst themselves and it will spill over into the Colonies, bringing an all-out war in the universe." He watched the girl's reaction, noting the hatred that burned in her grey eyes.
"War is something that I am well-attuned to. It is nothing new." She stepped forward and leaned in close to the computer screen, studying the blueprints. "Hmmm," she murmured, glancing from set to set. "This will take me some time, maybe even less given the right parts and equipment." She turned to the old man. "Will you have everything ready for me tomorrow? I want to get started as soon as I can, to keep me occupied."
"That will be done, child. I can't thank you enough for your services."
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Chapter Two
A young girl stood in front of a towering mobile suit. A tool belt was wrapped around her small waist and a smile graced her angelic features. The old man standing behind her watched as she ran her hands lovingly over the metal frame of a giant mobile suit.
"Are you sure I can work on this?" she asked the man, turning to face him. "To entrust something this powerful to a little girl is quite surprising."
"I'm sure, child. I have faith in you."
Suddenly, a small boy around the age of five came running up to them. His brown hair was shaggy and hung over his shocking cobalt eyes. He gripped the man's long coat and tugged on it impatiently. "There's someone here to see you!" he said in a shaky voice. "I don't like the look of them."
The girl watched as the old man was led away by the boy. She frowned, knowing that something bad was going to happen.
Her suspicions were proved correct when she heard a cry of surprise and the loud report of a handgun.
The Ozzies had finally arrived at the hangar.
The boy came running back in her direction and she noticed the blood covering his clothing. The old man was dead.
And now the two of them needed to escape before OZ followed them.
Before the boy could say anything, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to the mobile suit. She pushed him up the ladder, looking over her shoulder when she heard another shot. She undid the tool belt, letting it drop to the floor before following the boy. By the time she had reached him, they were at the hatch of the suit.
"They killed him!" the boy got out through his shock. "They killed him before he could do anything!"
"It doesn't matter now," she said in reply, hitting the button on the hatch. "It was bound to happen sooner or later." Once the hatch was open, she shoved the boy inside and climbed in next to him. The cockpit wasn't designed for two people, but foregoing the safety harnesses, she settled him in front of her. The hatch quickly slammed shut as she powered up the suit and turned on the vid-screens. She frowned when she saw the men standing in front of the suit.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked, looking back over his shoulder at her. His cobalt eyes flashed in the faint light and she noticed the play of images running through them. What had just happened would haunt the boy for the rest of his life.
"We are escaping. Those men want this suit, but they won't get it as long as I live." The girl hit a button and the suit blasted upwards, knocking the men over. "I know a place where we will be safe from those men. They will never find us."
The suit exploded from the building in a spray of debris. The girl frowned harder when she saw the units surrounding it. Then she grinned maniacally as an idea hit her. Why not take out a few OZ lackeys as they left? The idiots surely wouldn't be missed.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
The blast echoed over the compound, making the soldiers race for cover. Heat washed over them, drying out skin and blistering the flesh. Screams sounded from those units caught at the epicenter of the blast. Several died instantly from the burning flames that roared from nearly every opening. Those that were farthest away would later recall that Hell itself had burst forth from the very bowels of the Earth.
"Holy shit, it's a fucking Gundam!" one officer yelled, directing his subordinate's eyes to the heavens. The large war machine hung stationary in the air, seeming to mock them all. Then it shifted, bringing the buster rifle to the fore. The weapon started to glow as power gathered within it. One soldier had enough sense left to turn tail and run. Others gained their scattered wits and joined in the mad rush to safety.
Only, safety wasn't to be found that day.
The rifle fired, sending a beam of energy towards the massed groups of soldiers. The compound shook with the force of the blast and debris went flying. Several rather large pieces landed on the transports and they exploded in a ball of fire. The rifle powered up again, and the Gundam shifted to another target. Screams rent the air as the second blast hit home.
As the third and final shot was readied, the Gundam lifted higher into the air. The weapon was aimed at the heart of the compound, the intent clear. What soldiers remained at the very back of the assembled units climbed over one another in a mad dash to outrun the ruin of the area. The final blast exploded in a mushroom cloud, sending waves of fire flashing before the rush of debris. The retreating soldiers would later remember a distinct child-like voice laughing over the wake of ruin just before the giant war machine disappeared from sight.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"Th-that wa-was b-rutal!" the boy got out. The girl looked at his face and saw that his pupils were dilated. He was already in shock, but she could see his eyes returning to normal. "Why d-did you d-do th-that?"
"It was the only way to make sure they wouldn't follow us," she said, checking the radar. Satisfied that most of the complex had been destroyed, she aimed the Gundam for the heavens. There was only one place they would truly be safe.
"Now what?" She looked down. Cobalt eyes wide with receding shock stared up at her. "What's going to happen now?"
Punching in the coordinates, the girl activated the hyper jammers. "We are heading into space to the L1 Colony. That is where we will meet up with the only person capable of taking us in."
"Who's that?"
"You'll learn who it is when we get there." Her hands were firm on the controls as the thrusters worked overtime to propel the Gundam forward. The outside of the war machine turned red as it entered the barrier between the Earth and space. The girl's attention was broken by a yawn from the boy. "Go to sleep, child. I'll wake you when we get there."
Cobalt eyes were at half-mast under shaggy bangs. Another yawn nearly split the boy's jaw in two. "Okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes. The girl smiled as calmness fell on the boy. Then her thoughts shifted to what had happened just a half hour ago.
Somehow, the Ozzies had found out where the old man was hiding at. There had probably been a planted spy among the technicians at the lab. That was the only way the OZ morons could have found them. She frowned harder. The spy should have died in the blast. Shifting through the last hour, she remembered the second shot. Apparently the extremists had killed their own man.
She glanced down at the boy, then reached out and ran a hand through his unruly hair. The old man had been the only person in his life. Now it was about to be lifted on its head. The person she was taking them to would make sure the boy was brought up in the 'correct' manner.
Sighing heavily, she turned her attention back to the Gundam. Three hours remained until they reached L1. That was enough time to relay the information to the scientists. They would know what to do when they landed on the colony.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
The boy stirred as he felt something moving under him. He blinked once, twice, three times as his eyes cleared. He didn't recognize his surroundings and panicked. His breathing and heart rate sped up and he struggled to stand. A harsh voice in his ear froze him. He turned slowly, still hyped up on adrenaline, and locked gazes with a pair of grey eyes. He shot backwards, landing hard on his ass.
"Calm down, short stuff. You're fine."
"Where are we?" He broke the stare and looked at his surroundings. From somewhere in his jumbled thoughts, he came up with a memory. Finally realizing where he was, he shot his eyes upwards. His partner in the small space had her hands on the controls of the Gundam they were currently riding in.
"Docking sequence one-five-two-seven activated. Permission granted to land in Bay Five."
"Roger that. Have standby ready for pick-up of suit."
"Acknowledged, Alpha One. Over and out."
The girl shut the transmission off and looked down at the boy. "You hafta move if I'm gonna land this hunk of metal." She motioned for him to sit next to her in the pilot's chair. He did, finally noticing how serious the girl seemed.
"What's going to happen now?" he asked, staring at the vid-screens and the images portrayed on them.
"We will meet up with Terror and move on from there. Other than that, I don't know." The giant machine lurched as it touched down on the runway. A man was standing at the far end of the strip, arms crossed and foot tapping in impatience. Once the two had descended from the suit and traveled half the distance, the man stepped forward.
"So this is Lowe's progeny. He's been brought up nicely. From the looks of it, he won't have to unlearn anything." He turned to the girl. "And you yourself--"
"What are you talking about, Terror?" she snarled out. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"You may seem to be only the human equivalent of age seven, but there is something definitely older about you."
"If something like that is true, then I'm not going to tell you. That is my secret to keep and yours to never find out."
"What's the kid's name?" the man asked, shifting subjects.
"He has none. Lowe wasn't one for names, you know that. Though he did hint to me about what he wanted to call the little menace." The boy looked back at her in surprise. This was something he hadn't heard of!
"And what was that crazy old goat going to call him?"
The girl smiled. "He wanted to name him after the assassinated revolutionary Heero Yuy."
"Heero Yuy, huh?" Terror rubbed his chin in thought. He glanced at the girl, noticing the hatred in her grey eyes. "Then Heero it shall be." He turned to the boy. "Welcome to the L1 Colony, Heero Yuy."
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
The lights flashing down created an enormous shadow across the floor. The clanking of metal on metal rebounded in the large room. A few people moved through the building, tinkering with the spare parts from mobile suits. One man stood apart from them, staring at the item that was creating the shadow. A string of curses floated down from the large mobile suit, making the man smile slightly. A wrench went flying past his head to bounce off the wall behind him and come to a stop at his feet.
"It ain't funny, old man!" The child-like voice echoed out of the pitch-black suit, making him smile again. "I really hate it when I make you happy like this!" A head popped out of the darkness that was the cockpit and the girl frowned down at her mentor.
"Come now, child. Surely you don't mean that?" A wave of tools went screaming past him in reply. He chuckled, watching as the girl descended to the ground. She stopped directly in front of him, and the top of her head was level with his breastbone. She braced her hands on her hips, scowling up at the man. "How goes the interior work?"
She sighed, relaxing her stance. She really didn't want to fight anyway. "I've been at it for almost four months already. Most of the delicate wiring is left, only because it takes so long. All of the internal connections are complete, giving full mobility. By the end of the week, all of it will be up and running."
The man rubbed his chin, lost in thought. "You've moved faster than we predicted. We are months ahead of schedule thanks to you, child."
The girl snorted. "If you had someone else doing this, you'd be years behind schedule. You five knew when I started that I was the only one for the job."
"That's true. And I speak for everyone when I say that you have done a wonderful job."
"If I did anything less, I'd be out on the scrap pile," she snarled in reply. "That is, unless you've changed the contents of your threats?"
The man frowned and crossed his arms. "The threat still stands, child. Keep up with this attitude and I'll make sure Famine has a go at you."
She visibly gulped. "You can't mean that," she whispered, grey eyes wide in fright. "Anyone but Famine."
"My threats are not baseless. When I threaten someone, I mean it."
Her eyes shifted to the side. "I'm sorry, sir." The man smiled. Threats were the only way to keep this unruly child in line. She gazed back up at him, expression blank. "How goes Heero's training?"
"He's coming along nicely. Lowe had educated him well beyond what any normal child should know at this age. Only a few habits have needed to be unlearned, but other than that, he's doing well."
Unlearned. That only meant one thing - the person in question was beaten and tortured until the habit had stopped. A wave of pity flowed through her then, tightening her throat. What had she brought down on the child? No five-year-old deserved this type of cruel treatment. No one deserved it. She'd have to do something to help the kid get through the process faster. There had to be a way to help him.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
Hands clasped behind her head, she stared at the ceiling with flat eyes. Heero had stumbled into the room an hour ago, pale and shaking. The minute his head hit the pillow, he was out. Now, he was talking in his sleep, tossing and turning in the grip of a nightmare. This happened nightly, and now was no exception. In roughly ten minutes, Heero would wake up with a cry and he would crawl in bed with her, seeking comfort. Somehow she was the only one he trusted enough to help him.
Right on cue, a yell echoed through the room and she sat up. Heero struggled with his covers, finally throwing them off and shooting up to clutch at his head. His breathing was shallow and erratic, and she watched as the boy slowly got out of his bed and stumbled to hers. Without a word, she held the blanket up and he wormed his way in next to her. His body was still shaking from the effects of his nightmare. He curled against her side, one arm going across her abdomen. His head butted up against her chin, his hair tickling her skin lightly.
"Why do they do this to me?"
She shifted, pulling Heero closer to her. He asked the question every night and she always gave the same answer. "No one knows the real reason for their madness. Even I do not know why they do this." She fell silent, knowing Heero would fall back asleep soon. That was when she would put her plan into motion. The puffs of air against her neck slowed and evened out, letting her know Heero was now asleep. She slowly disentangled her body from his grip. Scooting to the headboard, she placed Heero's head in her lap and twined her fingers into his unruly hair.
"I'm so sorry, Heero, but this needs to be done to save your sanity. If I don't do this, you will never survive what Terror has planned for you." She closed her eyes, tightening her grip in his hair. "This is for your own good. This will save you in the end."
What happened next, no mortal man would believe. She started to glow, her skin giving off a faint white light like that of the moon. Her eyes started to swirl and shifted from grey to silver. A grimace appeared on her face as she rifled through Heero's brain, searching for the habits he was forced to unlearn. She found them quickly, right at the front. Working swiftly, she erected barriers around them, cutting off the neural pathways and restricting the access to them. Close by was the section of the brain that contained long-term memories.
"I'm sorry, Heero," she whispered as she went deeper into his mind. She searched out the memories connected to her, intent on getting rid of them. That was the only way to ensure the boy survived his ordeal. Once she found the cluster of images, she cut away all of the pathways leading to them. Using the sheer power of her own mind, she stripped away layer after layer, destroying the memories. When she was done, she would disappear into the background, severing all contact with the boy. From this point on, she would be a ghost to him, there yet never there.
She slowly worked even deeper, careful with her gentle touches. She was searching for the central core, the one part of the brain man could not understand. But she understood it. She was the only person in existence to know the depth and internal workings of the human mind. She alone had the ability to tamper with thoughts and memories. And it was the only way to save the young boy from certain insanity. Finally reaching her destination, she rifled though the neural networks until she found the one she was looking for. She traced its path to the pain response center.
Heero arched off the bed with a cry. She took no notice of it as she blocked the connections. By this time tomorrow, the boy would feel little to no pain from his experiences. Another cry echoed in the small room as she probed deeper and deeper, blocking off all paths. A third cry sounded, followed quickly by another. Soon it became a never-ending scream, gaining strength as it bounced off the walls of the room. And then it suddenly stopped, leaving complete and utter silence in its wake.
She closed her eyes as things shifted within her body. Bones ground against one another as they grew and twisted. Her flesh rippled and stretched to fit over the new bone structure. By the time it was done, a ten-year-old girl sat there, hair now down to her waist. This was the consequence of using her ability to meddle with the human mind.
Withdrawing from the confines of the bed, she looked down at Heero. His face was lined with pain, and she saw the shudders wracking his body. In two hours, he would be back to normal. Whatever normal was these days.
"Farewell, Heero. I hope your new talents ease you through the suffering of Terror's destructiveness." With that, she turned and exited the room, leaving the only person that mattered to her. From now on she would be nothing but a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of an eye, a vision there and gone within seconds. She was nothing, now; nothing but a ghost of the past.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"You've done well today, Heero. You are advancing quite well."
Heero looked up at the aged scientist. "I am trying, sir," he said, glancing down at the ground. The past few days had gone by in a blur, and only now had he noticed that he wasn't feeling the pain like he used to. Now the pain was at a tolerable level, light enough for him to push to the back of his mind.
But there was something missing, something that his hazy mind couldn't focus on. Then a flash of gold bullion caught his gaze, drawing his eyes to the side of a mobile suit. A girl stood there, a tool belt around her waist. A wrench was in her hand as she focused on tightening a loose nut. Heero felt a niggling in the back of his mind as he watched her work. She was familiar looking, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before. The scientist noticed his errant gaze and followed it.
"Who is she, sir? I feel as if I should know her."
Terror frowned at this. The girl had done something to Heero's mind, twisting it around. The boy should have been screaming in pain during each session. But he wasn't. He was tolerating the pain, storing it away and ignoring it. The scientist tapped his chin, deep in thought, watching the girl. She showed no sign of having seen them watching, but he hardly doubted that she knew they were staring at her. He could tell in the stiffness of her back and the rigidity of her movements.
"She is just another worker, Heero. You'd be better off to forget seeing her. Her schedule is erratic, and she travels between the colonies often." He grabbed the boy's shoulder and drew him away from the room and the girl.
=*=*=*=
Her eyes closed as she heard the two walk away. She let out the breath she had been holding, clutching tight to the tools in her hands. He had been close to finding out about her. She had been so close to having all her hard work undone. There was only one place where she could go to be safe from Heero finding out about her. The L2 Colony, and the labs run by Professor G. She would be safe there, due to the fact that Pestilence didn't like sharing things with his colleague.
'L2 Colony, here I come,' she thought to herself.
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
"Child, you know you can't run forever. Sooner or later you're going to have to face the boy."
"I know that. I left for his sake. He couldn't be allowed to remember me."
Professor G looked down at the ten-year-old girl-child in front of him and scowled. "That old geezer running the freak show on L1 knows about this, yes?"
She nodded her head, clenching her hands into fists. "He knows, but the fact remains that if he tells Heero, all my work will be undone, and I can't have that happen. Heero doesn't need my influence in his life. It will only cause problems in the future."
"Very well." The scientist turned from the girl and walked to the main computer terminal of the labs. "As long as you're here, you can get started on the suits I want built."
That caught her attention. "You want me, a girl of ten, to build a mobile suit?"
"I heard about the Gundam you built for Terror, and I know your skill. I believe in you, child." He tapped the computer screen and the blueprints splayed there. "This is the Wing Gundam, the first of five I need built. Your expertise is needed desperately, because a war is going to start in the near future. White Fang and the Alliance are fighting amongst themselves and it will spill over into the Colonies, bringing an all-out war in the universe." He watched the girl's reaction, noting the hatred that burned in her grey eyes.
"War is something that I am well-attuned to. It is nothing new." She stepped forward and leaned in close to the computer screen, studying the blueprints. "Hmmm," she murmured, glancing from set to set. "This will take me some time, maybe even less given the right parts and equipment." She turned to the old man. "Will you have everything ready for me tomorrow? I want to get started as soon as I can, to keep me occupied."
"That will be done, child. I can't thank you enough for your services."